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Art and Craft Producing a craft or visual art festival What it is: A retail art and/or craft fair is an event whose primary mission is to provide sales opportunities for individual businesses to sell their products.   “Retail” is defined as a venue by which the public can purchase products at retail price from exhibitors.  A craft fair can spotlight a particular theme or a community’s identity through the character of the businesses represented. It can show off a unique tradition or heritage of the region, and tell a story through the artists it represents. Or, it can be a mechanism to support artists of all types while attracting attention to a community, town, or region. May not be a moneymaker: There are expenses necessary for accommodating craft and art exhibitors and it will be the organizers’ responsibility to cover those costs through exhibitor fees, commission from sales or sponsorships.  It is typical for an organizer to cover costs for a fair but not necessarily show a profit from these fees.  Established events with established clientele may see opportunities for profit over time. Location may impact potential income. For instance, an in-door location provides certain crowd controls that could allow for gate admissions, whereas an outdoor fair may not. What are crafts and visual arts and who are the businesses? Crafts can be defined as three-dimensional work that is made by hand.  It can be traditional, contemporary or folk art in nature and made from a wide array of media (e.g. wood, clay, fiber, metal, glass, etc.)  Visual artists may show many of the same characteristics working in a variety of genre, and media (e.g. watercolor, photography, serigraphs, oil painting, mixed media, etc.)   Artisan businesses may be individuals who are hobbyists, semi-professional or professional craft businesses but all should be reporting sales to the state and collecting and paying sales tax to the state.  Click Here to See 9 Important Things To Think About Click Here to See Q & A With the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program Click Here to See Resources & Links for Art & Craft RETURN TO TOP This document was developed by the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program specifically for this website.